High hopes for special Piddle Brewery's Halloween real ale (From Dorset Echo)

High hopes for special Piddle Brewery's Halloween real ale

5:00pm Thursday 4th October 2012 in News By Rachel Stretton

A DORSET brewery is hoping a witchy brew and a visit from an MP will spell success for their business.

Owners and brewers at the Piddle Brewery invited West Dorset MP Oliver Letwin to tour their site at Piddlehinton.

Mr Letwin was treated to a sup of the microbrewery’s special Halloween ale, Flying Low, and talked to staff about the future of the industry. Brewery owner Rob Martin admitted it is a challenging time for many businesses.

He said: “It was really good to meet him, let him know we are here, and talk to him a little about what we do, and the issues we face.

“We consider ourselves part of Dorset, so it seemed appropriate to invite him here.”

And the staff hope that the light-hearted names of their products will help to put them on the map.

Mr Martin said: “We started in a smaller unit than this, and we are now hoping to expand even further into bigger premises.

“We have these funny names, but we would like to be known as a regular, rather than a microbrewery, and to be taken seriously as a creative player in the beer market.

“When we first started, we were quite gimmicky, and I suppose we still are in some respects.”

The brewery employs five full-time staff, including brewer Vic Irvine, who talked Mr Letwin through the beer-making process.

Mr Letwin praised the brewery’s commitment to pubs, as well as seeking new outlets for their products in supermarkets, as a way of helping their business to grow.

He said: “This is one of the local industries which we need if we are going to prosper. It’s completely suitable in a rural area, and in West Dorset in particular, and it’s great to see it growing.”